TITLE:
Assessing Land Loss from Flooding in the Lake St. Martin Basin in Manitoba, Canada
AUTHORS:
Tanzim Ahmed, Raghavender Geebu, Shirley Thompson
KEYWORDS:
Flood, Land Loss, Displacement, Shoreline, Indigenous, Water Diversion, Lake St. Martin
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.7 No.12,
December
26,
2019
ABSTRACT: Floodwaters from the Assiniboine
River are typically diverted to Lake Manitoba and then Lake St. Martin to save
the City of Winnipeg and Portage la Prairie from flooding. The four Indigenous communities
living Lake St. Martin basin experienced many negative impacts, including long-term displacement after
the 2011 flood. Data analysis of historical
water levels of Lake Manitoba and Lake St. Martin were conducted to understand the
impact of control structures and water levels. Satellite imagery allowed
geographic information system (GIS) raster analysis of the shoreline change of
Lake St. Martin before and after the 2011 super flood. From 1986 to 2010, the Lake St. Martin area increased slightly by approximately 0.63% but in 2011 the lake area increased by 13%. 11,000 acres were lost mainly around Lake St. Martin First Nation (LSMFN)
reserve and the Little Saskatchewan First Nation, as a result and many houses
and other buildings (churches, band offices, etc.) flooded in these
communities. The shoreline change analysis showed that, in particular, the west
and north shoreline of Lake St. Martin lost its beaches and lakefront
properties, to become swampland after the 2011 flood. Thousands of Indigenous
people were displaced for eight years, as the community could only start to
rebuild its infrastructure and houses on higher ground after a government
settlement was reached.